Librarians and Educators Fighting Censorship: Brooky Parks and Suzette Baker

About Our Clients:

In recent years, an undemocratic wave of censorship and hostility towards minority voices and content has plagued our country as political opportunism has made victims of communities that have long suffered vilification and disenfranchisement at the hands of public officials and institutions. We represent many individuals who have fought, and continue to fight, to ensure our public institutions are welcoming and supportive of all; particularly of those whose voices, ideas, and experiences have been historically suppressed and excluded. We are currently advocating for librarians, teachers, and administrators across the county who have been adversely impacted, some even terminated from their jobs, simply for standing up against banning books, in favor of free speech, and empowering minority youth.  

We have filed charges and lawsuits in several states against school and library districts on behalf of clients whose constitutional guarantees of free speech and association have been violated, and who have been retaliated against for advocating and associating with the LGBTQ+ community, youth of color, and disabled children.

Amongst others, we represent Suzette Baker and Brooky Parks, librarians in Texas and Colorado respectively. Suzette was terminated from her position as head librarian for the Llano County Library District, a rural district in Texas, for refusing to remove dozens of books, many of which center the LGBTQ+ experience but others which covered many other serious topics as well, from the library shelves. Brooky was terminated after she objected to her library cancelling her programming supporting LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color and contacted the Intellectual Freedom branch of the American Library Association who warned the community about the plan. Both Suzette and Brooky have been featured in New York Times Magazine. You can access this story and others about their cases here:  

No one should have to experience a violation of their first amendment speech rights or be subject to retaliation for advocating against discriminatory hostility and practices in their communities, particularly not when their employer is a public institution tasked with protecting and serving all of the community, rather than a politically expedient majority. We strive to support our clients in finding justice not only for themselves but for the many people who depend on them and whose lives they deeply touch every day. 

If you or someone you know has fought back against censorship and discrimination while employed at, working with, or attempting to access and use a public institution’s services, please contact us at info@rmlawyers.com or call us at 303-578-4400. We are here to listen and support you.